City Life Bill of Rights
City Life Bill of Rights All citizens will have the right of religion. No person or law shall prohibit the free exercise of a person's religion, as long as the practice does not endanger the safety of the public, or infringe on the rights of another citizen. All citizens will be guaranteed the freedom of speech, as long as it remains free of libel, slander, and is non-threatening in nature. The rights of the press, shall not be infringed, press will be allowed to record and report on the news without malice or prejudice. Press may be required to film or report from safe locations, and do not have the right to interfere with law enforcement. The people will have the right to peacefully assemble and to protest. This will require no special permit or permission. If an assembly as a whole becomes violent, unlawful, or unruly, it may be dispersed by law enforcement. While ensuring citizens are compliant with all of the current laws regarding weapons, citizens shall have the right to bear arms. The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall be issued, but upon probable cause, supported by evidence, and describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. Evidence of probable cause will also be required when showing a civilian evidence during arrest if requested. Citizens have the right to remain silent, and to not make statements that incriminate themselves in a crime. Any statement made of a citizens own free will may be used against them. Citizens have the right to ask to speak to a higher ranking officer if they question their arrest. If this request is not made within 24 hours of arrest, this right becomes invalid unless a reasonable explanation is presented for the delay. Citizens also must answer to their charges by plea. If the citizen refuses to plea, the justice system shall enter a guilty plea on their behalf considering the charged citizen has been given reasonable opportunities to enter a plea. Citizens have the right to be free from unlawful traffic stops, detainment, arrest, or search. Detainment shall be defined as placing a citizen in restraints, telling them they are being detained, informing the citizen they are not free to leave, or placing the citizen in a position in which they are not free to leave. Officers may not detain a citizen unless they have reasonable suspicion that a crime has been committed, and that the citizen to be detained is suspected of committing the crime. Once a citizen has been detained, officers may detain the citizen for up to one hour before formally arresting and charging them. If the crime the citizen is suspected of committing does not add up to an hour, such a citizen will be released with a verbal apology and $1000 per full 10 minute overstay from expected jail time as compensation; known as the “Overstay Charge”. If the citizen is not placed under arrest by the end of an hour, the person shall be immediately released from custody. Arrest shall be defined as informing the citizen that they are under arrest, by reading them their rights, and informing them of their charges. A citizen may not be arrested without a charge. Once a citizen has been arrested, the officer has a reasonable amount of time to upload evidence and present it to the citizen upon request if a "not guilty" plea has been entered. Each civilian has the right to have their grievances heard and to be treated with respect during this process, in enforcing this the senator shall have the power to form an oversight committee. This committee shall consist of 1 police officer (chosen by CLPD, they can form their own SOI's for who is selected) 1 EMT of sufficient standing on the server to make a fair and impartial, educated decision, and 1 civilian (who is removed from the situation and impartial - corrupt practices will not be tolerated and immediately dissolve the committee and it's decisions) chosen by the senator or his designee. This committee will review any police complaint, EMT complaint, arrest, warrant, or action that affects a citizen of the city. If the committee determines that a citizens rights were violated, or that the grievance is legitimate, the committee shall have the power to overturn a decision, arrest, sentence, or warrant.. Once the committee reaches it's decision, the committee will be dissolved, until the senator forms a new one. If compensation is requested, this amount will be determined by the committee and is final. In order for a committee to be formed, a citizen must exhaust all available means of resolution first, by requesting a higher ranking officer, by filing a police complaint, and then finally by contacting the senator. The senator shall have final discretion in forming the committee or not. If there is currently no senator, a committee cannot be formed. This will encourage the people to exercise their right to vote and keep a senator in office. A senator may form a committee even if he is the one requesting it, as he will not vote in it, and it remains impartial. Also to be noted that a person's ignorance of the law is not an excuse for breaking it. The committee will be presented with all evidence on the case that is in question. As well as any evidence used for the complaint. SOI's as a whole are sensitive information, however during the process, the CLPD representative will be responsible for answering any questions the other committee members have about SOI's to determine if they were violated or not. When a question of law VS SOI comes into question, the law shall take priority. Any SOI found to be in violation of the law shall be changed. Once the committee reviews the evidence, case, complaint, and situation, they will make a determination on weather or not a civilian's rights were violated. The committee has the power to impose compensation that is fair and reasonable for the grievance. The committee shall also have the power to impose a fine on the civilian that requested it if it's found that the civilian is grossly wasting the time of the CLPD, the Senator, and the committee. The committee shall have the power to fine the Senator as well in cases where its determined that the senator is creating committees without cause, or without the best interest of it's citizens in mind. As with civilians, officers are innocent until proven guilty. And on a final note, a committee cannot effect the employment, by taking the job of any CLPD member or EMT.